Sarah flew to Australia to make final arrangements, leaving Doherty to concentrate on getting them an early wedding present - a £100,000 winner’s cheque.

Standing between him and the last eight is Welshman Dominic Dale. Stephen Lee and Peter Ebdon, winner and runner-up in this season’s LG Cup, resume today with every chance of reaching the last eight.

Ebdon played superbly to gain a 6-2 lead over Malta’s Tony Drago while Lee took the final three frames to establish a hard-fought 5-3 advantage over Finnish qualifier Robin Hull.

Meanwhile, Ronnie O’Sullivan doesn’t have the monopoly on stress-related conditions - as his opponent at the today will testify to.

O’Sullivan, who last week admitted to taking Prozac to combat spells of depression, meets Worcester rival Dave Finbow for a place in the quarter-finals.

O’Sullivan has frequently threatened to quit the game in moments of frustration, but Finbow will beat him to it.

The world number 47 plans to hang up his cue at the end of the season and for Finbow there is no going back.

‘‘I’ve suffered from an anxiety disorder for two or three years now,’’ he admits. ‘‘It’s similar to agoraphobia.

‘‘I come over sweating and have to take medication. And I’m not prepared to risk my longer-term health just for snooker.

‘‘I’ve got to the end of my tether and I don’t enjoy my snooker anymore. I’ve played competitively for 25 years and psychologically it’s such a tough sport.

‘‘You feel like you’ve run a marathon after some matches. Even when you are between tournaments, the game is still on your mind.

‘‘I’ve had enough and now I’ve decided I want to go and do something else.’’

Finbow was involved in a real grueller against Dave Harold in the last round before winning through 6-5.

It will be more a sprint than a marathon against O’Sullivan and a match Finbow is looking forward to.

‘‘I’ve played him four times before and I’ve beaten him twice. I think he knows that if I play well then I can give him a tough match,’’ added Finbow.

‘‘I reached the quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters last season and beat two top-10 players, so I know I can do it.’’

Even if he loses against O’Sullivan, Finbow is guaranteed £11,500. And that’s a tidy sum for his retirement.

‘‘I’ve got one or two plans,’’ he says. ‘‘I’ve thought about selling my house and moving to Spain.

‘‘If I win this event it will be a bonus but it won’t change my mind about giving up.’’

Stephen Hendry exorcised a few mental demons by winning the European Open in Malta earlier this month.

He’s now focused on winning a record-equalling sixth UK crown and is well on the way to the quarter-finals.

Hendry followed up his opening win against fellow Scot Drew Henry by gaining a 6-2 lead to start the final session of his third round game against Mark Davis.

He did so helped by a 134 break and now requires only three of the remaining nine frames to qualify for the last eight.

Jimmy White is far less handily placed. He needs six of the nine to overturn his 5-3 deficit against two-time UK runner-up Matthew Stevens.